New Bridge At Battersea One Step Closer

A planning application for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Thames, linking Battersea and Chelsea Harbour, has been submitted.

The new crossing would be situated alongside the railway bridge that runs into Clapham Junction (here's the exact location). Design-wise, the bridge, composed of three looping arcs, looks like a scaled-down version of the unbuilt Thames Gateway crossing that Boris Johnson axed in 2008.

Perhaps inevitably, the crossing has been dubbed the Jubilee Bridge, in honour of this summer's washed-out slice of pomp and circumstance and the fact that Her Maj stepped out onto her frigid anniversary boat trip from a pier very near the proposed bridge. Though not the most original of names, particularly as London already has a Golden Jubilee bridge, the sobriquet is likely to stick: the project's architect, local firm One World Design, hoping to raise the £22 million needed to build the thing through sponsorship and by offering naming rights to the highest bidder. Good news for the taxpayer, although after the dismal and broadly one-sided nature of London's recent experiments with sponsorship plans (cf: Barclays Cycle Hire and Emirates Air Line) this doesn't fill us with confidence. Diamond Geezer has some interesting thoughts on this matter.

If all goes to plan, expect the Team Sky Velo-Bridge, or some derivation, to be opened by Bradley Wiggins and co in Spring 2014.